FW: LaGrange Daily News: Citizens raise concern over property taxes and data center tax abatements

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From: Mark Woodall <woodal...@gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, October 26, 2025 11:00 AM
Subject: LaGrange Daily News: Citizens raise concern over property taxes and data center tax abatements

 

Citizens raise concerns over property taxes and industrial abatements Published 9:45 am Saturday, October 25, 2025 

 

 By Tommy Murphy   

 

  During the Troup County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, a pair of local citizens flanked by a packed house of seniors raised concerns about rising property taxes and criticized recent industrial tax abatements.  Dan Dejournette, a retired Coca-Cola executive, and Bill Gregory, an engineer, addressed the board, highlighting senior citizen concerns, and suggesting alternative revenue sources for tax relief.   “I’ve been quite disturbed about the relationship and the benefit and welfare of the senior citizens and the average layperson who works out there. What I want to share with you is not to be offensive, because none of you moved into these positions and worked to be in the positions to represent the folks of the county without a desire to make a difference,” Dejournette said. “I know you come in here and you do the mundane task of approving things that people want, potholes, driveways, buildings and things of that nature, but you are viewed as a district commissioner, as the advocate of the people, realistically, their advocate to the county government.”  

 

 Dejournette asked the commissioners how many times anything mentioned in the strategic plan was about what’s in the best interest of the people.  “If you sit in any coffee shop or you’re around the county and any of the issues come up about politics, everybody’s bad. It’s just perception, and it’s people talking. Most of the time, they’re uninformed, but they believe that everything that’s done from West Point, Hogansville, Pine Mountain, all around this county. They believe everything is done in the best interest of LaGrange,” Dejournette said.  

 

“Recently, it’s been brought to more people’s attention than what was before, the advocacy of responsibility of the Commission on tax abatements,” Dejournette said, noting the data center was a catalyst for the discussion,” Dejournette said.   Dejournette called the Troup County School Board failed and misguided, implying a conflict of interest because an unnamed board member sits on both the school board and the development authority.  “He voted as a member of the school board to take away tax money. We have a situation where the poor and the folks on fixed income, retired people, can’t pay their taxes,” Dejournette said.  

 

 Similarly, Gregory asked questions on how tax burdens could be lessened for seniors, suggesting some potential alternative revenue sources to relieve the burden of residential property owners in the county. Gregory noted that the county commission holds the final approval for all millage rates, budget reviews and public hearings for any authority in the county.   While the Board of Commissioners does sign off on the total millage rate, it does not set the Board of Education’s millage rate, nor does it approve tax assessments.  “These are not responsibilities that you may delegate. They’re your responsibility. The buck stops with you. While some may believe these items are a formality, the citizens of the county believe they are your duty,” Gregory said. 

 

 Gregory suggested increasing the homestead exemption from $2,000 to $10,000 and proposed a development impact fee for new businesses. He also criticized the data center’s 50 percent tax, suggesting better terms should have been negotiated.  “I’ve negotiated a lot of contracts in my career. I don’t know if we start with 50 percent and just hang there, or do we start where we need to, and that is no abatement. Now let’s negotiate,” Gregory said. 

 

 While the data center coming to the former Jindal site in LaGrange has been awarded a temporary 50 percent tax abatement, officials from the LaGrange Development Authority note that even with the abatement, the undisclosed company will still pay more in property taxes than Jindal ever paid and much more than would have been paid if the building continued to sit empty.

Read more at: https://www.lagrangenews.com/2025/10/25/citizens-raise-concerns-over-property-taxes-and-industrial-abatements/